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DaeSean Hamilton Notches Second Big Ten Freshman Of The Week Honors

After another record-setting performance in the double-overtime thriller against No. 13 Ohio State, wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season.

Hamilton’s 14 receptions set a Penn State single game record, eclipsing Freddie Scott’s previous school record of 13 catches against Wisconsin in 1995. The Fredericksburg, Va. native gained 126 yards, extending his school freshman record to four 100-yard games through only his first seven career contests.

Along with fellow first-year wideouts Saeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin, Hamilton made big plays when the Nittany Lions needed them most. Hamilton hauled in three catches on Penn State’s 77-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, setting up Sam Ficken’s game-tying field goal to force overtime at Beaver Stadium. The outstanding freshman also made an incredible leaping catch between two Ohio State defenders at the two-yard line in the first overtime that led to a Penn State touchdown.

After seven games, Hamilton leads the Big Ten and is eighth nationally with 8.1 catches per game. He also is second in the conference and 16th in the FBS at 98 receiving yards per game, the highest average nationally among all freshmen.

After missing the 2013 season with a wrist injury, Hamilton broke two school freshman records in the season opening win over Central Florida in Dublin to earn his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. His 11 catches and 165 yards set school records for most catches and yards by a Penn State freshman, besting Deon Butler’s 125-yard effort vs. Wisconsin in 2005 and Maurice Humphrey’s eight catches against Northwestern in 2003.

Barring an unlikely setback, another freshman receiving record stands to fall when Penn State takes on Maryland this Saturday at noon in Beaver Stadium. Hamilton has has 57 catches for 686 yards on the season, only six yards from breaking Butler’s freshman season record of 691 yards.

While question marks surrounded Penn State’s receivers after the departure of former Nittany Lion standout and rising NFL star Allen Robinson, Hamilton has put those doubts to bed. If his production continues, Hamilton is on pace to break many more records when his college career is all said and done.

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About the Author

CJ is a senior journalism major from Long Island and Onward State's Sports Editor. He is a third-generation Penn Stater, and his grandfather wrestled for the university back in the 1930s under coach Charlie “Doc” Speidel. Besides writing, one of his favorite activities is making sea puns. You can follow him on Twitter @CJDoon, and send your best puns to [email protected], just for the halibut.

Whether it’s natural curiosity or fear of the spotlight, I’m not sure, but I’ve always been more comfortable asking questions rather than answering them. Interviewing interesting people — friends, family, or strangers — is an enjoyable activity that I hope to turn into a living. At Penn State, I was afforded the opportunity to follow that passion — and then some.